Monday, June 2, 2014

Our Wedding (Part I) :: Our Dinner Decor


Well, we are back! After a wedding that felt like a fairy tale and a honeymoon that was stretched out for nearly two weeks in France and Italy, I have many amazing stories to tell.  They say your wedding day is one of the best days of your life and I could not have agreed more.  Not only did I marry the most amazing man and my best friend, but I was surrounded by the people that mean the most to me.  In order to tell how everything unfolded I am going to break it up into three parts starting with the reception decor.  And the honeymoon, oh, stay tuned! I took so many photos to try to capture the beauty of France and Italy and I hope that I was able to do it justice.  

When choosing our wedding venue the most important thing was that it was a reflection of who we were as a couple.  We decided to forgo the traditional reception and do a dinner where there conversation would be flowing, the location a bit rustic and the food would be exceptional.   Frankie's 457 in Brooklyn was an easy choice, not because it is around the corner from where we live but because it had everything that we wanted and more - exposed brick, long tables, a European flair (we adore the rambling grape vines and twinkling Thomas Edison style lights that create a romantic ambiance) and delicious food that would have our guests talking for months to come.  Since I have a great love for styling, flowers and baking, I decided to take on all three - it might seem crazy for a bride to do such a thing but this is something that I live for and being a bit particular (okay huge perfectionist!) I wanted to be the one behind the scenes, plus this is something I would dream of doing one day.  


I wanted to keep the flowers a bit whimsical, but tie them into the fact that we got married in a (magical) rose garden.  I incorporated Maria Theresa English garden roses, peonies, olive branches and jasmine to give the arrangements a full, yet colorful effect.  It was with absolute bliss that my sister and I ventured early to the flower market to return with 250 peonies, 150 garden roses and bunches of jasmine and olive branches.  I was very lucky to have my great friend Nuria stay up late with me to help me complete all of the bouquets.  
The tables were covered in white table cloths, but in order to give them a more rustic approach I added a sage green burlap table runner down the middle to pull out the green in the olive branches and jasmine vines.  I am incredibly happy with how the cake turned out, as I mentioned before it was our favorite cake - a white moist cake with layers of sweet orange curd and topped with whipped buttercream, that I decorated with peonies and olive branches.  Our favors, which I will go into a little more detail later were bottles of our favorite olive oils with a custom seal to commemorate our day.  

Event Details:
Venue: Frankies 457, Brooklyn, New York
Photographers: Steve Napholtz, Stephanie Napholtz and Julie Liebman
Flowers, Styling and Cake: By Me (Alison)




15 comments:

  1. STUNNING decor!!!!! You did such a beautiful job with the flower arrangements. And the cakes! WOW.
    www.fashiontruffles.com

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  2. Welcome home!!! When I saw how you decorated Frankie's I was amazed & thrilled! Looked absolutely gorgeous! It was a pleasure to photograph such a beautiful setting.
    By the way, the cake not only looked fantastic --- it was soooooo delicious!!!
    See you soon.....
    Steve

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  3. oh my goodness, what a beautiful setting! Can't wait to see more pics!!

    The Style Scribe

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  4. Alison–this is perfection. Your reception looks like it was amazing, and I'm blown away that you did everything yourself. What a talent you are!

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  5. You are seriously one talented lady to take on so much work for your own wedding, but it was all worth it because this is just BEAUTIFUL! Congrats, Alison!!

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  6. What an absolutely stunning scene. You are amazing! I can only imagine you walking out of the market with bushels of flowers. You did a beautiful job with the decorations and the olive oil bottles are a great idea. Congrats on your big day!!

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  7. I adore every little detail!! Alison this is such beautiful work! You beautiful bride you! the flowers are beautiful, the olive tree branches were the perfect idea, and the cake!!! I'm so excited to hear about everything! And I am so happy you shared all these photos with us. What a perfect day! I will be in NY around the 15th of Aug.....please reserve a day for me.....we can chat later about specifics. KISSES

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  8. Oh my goodness, I'm in LOVE with all the details! The whole setup and design is SO you, and I'm amazed you did so much yourself! One day when I get married I'm calling you up to just basically recreate your wedding ;) Cannot wait to hear more details! xx

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  9. What a perfect way to celebrate! Warm, cosy and very special. x

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  10. These magical pictures are totally your style and personality. Such a beautiful venue laced with such style and elegance!

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  11. These magical photos totally bring out your personality! This already quaint venue was laced with even more elegance and style. SO perfect!

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  12. First and foremost, congrats! Second, this space is amazing! For real. I don't use the word amazing very often, but I love every single detail from the exposed brick to the burlap runners. And, the fact that you did a large portion of the decorating/baking makes it all the more impressive. LOVE :)

    Megan // www.fyeahblog.com

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  13. Ali, your reception was the one of the nicest evenings I've had in a very long time. Not only beautiful, but the food was incredible! Just like a restaurant in Italy, the dishes keep coming and each one better than the last. It meant so much to us to have been included in your big day. Welcome home! Steve Reed

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  14. oh my goodness this is so YOU and so wonderful! I'm in awe that you did so, so much and I love the idea of an intimate dinner vs. traditional reception (I really wanted to do that!). can't wait to see more from the wedding and of course your honeymoon!! A belated welcome back :)

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